11 Things You Didn't Know You Can Use to Dye Easter Eggs (VIDEO)

You may think there's only one choice for dyeing Easter eggs: a box of PAAS. But what if it the grocery store is sold out, or it's 3 a.m. on Easter morning and you just realized the bunny doesn't have all of the necessary supplies.

Believe it or not, there was a time when people dyed Easter eggs before there were kits ready to walk you through the process. Eastern Orthodox Christians have been using onion skins to give eggshells a reddish luster for centuries.

And that is just the beginning of interesting materials and ingredients you can use to dye Easter eggs, some of them natural, others just crazy convenient.

We realize there are more than 11 ideas here, but we padded the list in case you already know one or two.

Onion Skins, Red Cabbage and Flowers

While you may know you can dye Easter eggs by boiling them in a pot with onion skins or red cabbage, but if you attach flowers and herbs to the eggs using a little pantyhose, the finished look is rustic and impressive.

Tumeric, Spinach and more

Numerous natural ingredients can be used to imbue Easter eggs with a subdued pastel sheen. As the PBS Parents advises, you may need to leave the eggs in the dyeing liquid overnight to get a great color.

Kool Aid, Jell-O

Do you consider Kool Aid and Jell-O to be natural dyes? Possibly not. But if a packet or box of one of these powdery delights in your cupboard, you're definitely going to be tempted to give your Easter Bunny a little "Ohhhhh Yeaaaah!"

Nail Polish

While nail polish might not be natural (or edible), it does create an Easter egg with swirly spinart imagery. You may want to get gloves for this one and be careful if you have kids help out.

Shaving Cream

Shaving cream and food dye create a combination of colors on the Easter egg that almost looks like tie dye. Be prepared for this one to be fun and messy.

Rubber Cement

Technically, the rubber cement isn't used as a dye in this method. You still use one of the other dye methods and then spread the rubber cement on the Easter egg to leave images that look like dripped paint.

Sharpie Markers, Neckties, and Crayons

Looking to dye your Easter egg in a new, innovative way? You can draw on an egg with a marker and then drip rubbing alcohol over it. Wrapping the eggs in old neckties and then boiling them can leave impressive patterns. Melted crayon makes for a fun way to play with food.